Killian Gallows
“You won’t find the world in your books. You’ll find it just over there; beyond the rolling hills of home and into an infinite horizon.” - Killian Gallows. Killian Gallows is an NPC first introduced in The Shattered Depths campaign. He is the 3rd born Gallows Grandson and acted as the financial backer for the crew of the Thunderchild. Physical Description Killian is a tall, almost scrawny man with very sharp facial features. He has long jet black hair that flows in waves down the back of his head and neck. He is often found wearing a purple 2 piece suit adorned in golden trimming with a frill shirt, something reminiscent of the pirates he’d read about as a boy. Background Third Times The Charm Killian was the 3rd son of Lestrade Gallows. Growing up in the shadow of Arthur’s magical feats and Ludwick’s business savviness wasn’t always easy though he never let this bother him. Killian grew into his role as the black sheep of the family with pride! Sneaking out into the woods with his friends as a child to hosting boisterous parties into his adolescence. Lestrade was always frustrated with Killians lax view on the world, too much fun and not enough serious work! While Ludwick shared this opinion Arthur didn’t, after Lestrade's retirement Arthur became the Lord of Telmont and elevated Killians position within the city to giving him a seat on the town council, he mostly used this power to host street parties and carnivals. Occasionally Killian would take on more serious work, representing Arthur as a Diplomat during the Whytehold/New Haven treaties where he dropped the goofy facade and proved talented in debate. Making points that would sway many political opponents to agree to the treaty. A Wider World As Killian got older he caught on that his brother was shaping him into being a critical cog in the machine that was Telmont; while flattered, this wasn’t the life Killian wanted. He was getting older and didn’t want to be stuck in one place all his days when there was a wide world to explore! After a private discussion that left Arthur speechless Killian walked out of the Gallows homestead one final time! Rubbed shoulders with the lower class as he strode the streets to the train station with little more than a change of clothes in a briefcase he set out to see the world he’d been teased about from the books he got lost in growing up. He found himself in the docks at Eredan and quickly became a popular face at the local taverns, using his charms he befriended every captain he came across from mighty merchants and humble fisherman. In turn he was rewarded with many trips out into the shattered sea and to visit the surrounding continents, either helping out on the ship or just being there to keep morale high. While away on these voyages he saw distant lands, various cultures and perils. Occasionally being forced to lock swords with brutes that sought the cargo of the vessels he rode! A Close Encounter After a year at sea, Killian was the only crew member awake on laid out under a blueberry sky, he watched in awe as meteorites shot across the sky, he smiled probably thinking how one day he’ll see them up close and personal. Little did he expect he would so soon as a rock about 40cms in diameter shot through the sail and crashed into the nearby cove! The shock wave rocked the water disturbing the sleeping sailors that were further stirred by the sound of frantic bell ringing. Killian rallied the crew and began barking orders to sail towards the crash site. They obliged. By the time they got their water was still warm to the touch so they thought to bide their time before Killian dove down into the bay with a rope tied around his waist. The rock at first seemed ordinary however Killian began to examine and chisel at it until he cleared the crust to reveal a hard black metal within the rock itself! Seeing the obvious style and bragging opportunity; at the next port he commissioned a sword be made of the material for him. None of the blacksmiths could identify the metal but found it easy to forge, Killian christened the mysterious space metal “Killium” and called it a day. Returned A Man After another year travelling, Killian returned to Telmont. With him was A carriage full of artifacts, detailed accounts of significant world events, as well as songs and stories from every corner of the known world. Arthur was impressed by Killian was clearly still a Gallows at heart and welcomed him back without hesitation and the two agreed on a working relationship that gave Killian his freedom while retaining access to the resources his family provided. Killian used them mainly to fund a variety of business ventures including being a major shareholder in The Erradanian Zoo, opening the world's first aquarium and funding the career of his business partner turned lover Roland Stout. It was the aquarium project that led to the creation of Submarines and the events of Shattered Depths. Skills & Equipment “Effortless Linguistics” - Killian isn’t himself a particularly gifted man. He’s not the strongest person nor the smartest but what he does know is people. He effortlessly appeals to people avoiding what annoys them and doing his best to be as likeable as possible. His credibility he carries through reputation allows him to effortlessly assemble teams for adventures he couldn’t do alone. “Dedication” - Killian made his life for himself. He left Telmont with no money and came back with a measure of wealth most wouldn’t see in generations. He may be excitable and eccentric but he’s not un-calculated, everything he does is deliberate and thought through. “Killium Sword” - Killian possesses what as far as he knows is a completely unique blade, it’s sharper than most metals and is in fact capable of slicing right through simple steel weapons. More advanced metals like Lockmetal prove to be more durable however.